+What She Revealed About Her Life
Death dealt a big blow on the Odukoya family for the second time when the wife of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya of Fountain of Life Christian Centre, Pastor Nomthi succumbed to cancer last Tuesday at age 47. It was announced by Pastor Taiwo on his Instagram page, he wrote, “With deep regret and gratitude to God, I have to announce the passing of my wife, Pastor Nomthi Odukoya, she battled cancer for the better part of 2 years, she stood on the word of God and she fought, She gave me 11 beautiful years of marriage and 2 wonderful boys who I know will be very significant in life, I loved her with all my heart, but who am I to fight with the will of God. The truth is, at one point in our lives, we all will have to say goodbye. So for now, till we meet again in glory. Goodbye Nomthi”.
It was such sad news that shocked the entire society especially Christendom. This is one too many as pastor Taiwo had once lost his first wife, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya in 2005 in a plane crash. It was devastating news for a man whose life is exemplary of God’s grace. Pastor Taiwo cuts the picture of the true servant of God and this has remained a trying moment as he lost his second wife of 11 years after battling cancer for 2 years.
The Christian community has been thrown into mourning and many church leaders have commiserated with the man of God on his huge loss. It is indeed a moment of grief for the Odukoyas.
Pastor Nomthi fought a good fight in her last days as revealed by her husband. According to him, she started suffering from this terminal ailment in the year 2020 during the early days of COVID but pastor Nomthi never looked a bit like something was wrong, despite her absence at the weekly Thursday programme in the church due to COVID regulations as the programme was done online, she was still very strong, happy and agile that in September, the year 2020 when her stepdaughter, Tobi Deborah Odukoya got married, she played the position of the mother of day, looking happy, dancing her heart out as she shares a very close friendship with her stepdaughters. Though we gathered she has been going abroad for treatment but not as worse as anyone would think, while her husband revealed she died of cancer, it was reported she might have died of breast, lungs or cervical cancer which is one of the common cancers in women. Until her death, Pastor Nomthi’s bubbling Instagram page where she connects with thousands of people especially women was devoid of activities for like 8 days, she was not doing active postings as her last post was November 1st before her death was announced on her page on Tuesday. This development must have devastated pastor Taiwo but as he has also said, who is he to question God’s will? We pray God gives him the strength and fortitude to bear this huge loss. The entire fountaineers, as most members are called have been visiting the home of the Odukoyas to commiserate with them. Amongst were Bishop David Oyedepo and his wife, Pastor Faith Oyedepo and Governor Sanwoolu who sent in his condolence message.
Late Pastor Nomthi came into Pastor Odukoyas life 4 years after he lost his first wife, Pastor Bimbo and since then, his marriage, children and ministry experienced a new turn of things but for death which came knocking the second time.
This indeed is a period of grief for the annointed men of God who has lived his life all for God. In her lifetime, pastor Nomthi lived a good life, she is an inspiration to many. In fact she has a huge followership on the social media with her everyday inspirational quotes and words, she is well loved in her church and many have testified to how she has taught them to love and to always have faith in God. Despite not being a Nigerian, she warmed her heart into people’s hearts and the love for her grew in bounds especially within the women ministry and beyond. She is indeed a practical Christian who never joked with the gospel. She supported her husband in the ministry and together, they have raised legion of faithfuls for God.
What do you need to know about pastor Nomthi, her marriage, the love story and relationship with her step children? She wrote about this few years back in a tribute during a book launch for late Pastor Bimbo Odukoya.
After consulting his families and children, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya gave marriage another shot on January 5th, 2010. He found love in the arms of a South African, late pastor Nomthi Simangele Rosemary. The beautiful wedding took place in Lagos and all of late Pastor Bimbo’s 3 children took part in the wedding ceremony. They were married for 11 years and had 2 boys before she passed on.. The book, Glorious Legacy-the life and times of Bimbo Odukoya that sold out few weeks after it came out was written by pastor Taiwo Odukoya, to celebrate pastor bimbo’s 10 years remembrance then was an exciting book that captures all what you need to know from the horse’s mouth. In this book there were a lot of tributes by children, Pastor Taiwo’s late wife, Nomthi and also family and friends of late Pastor Bimbo.
The tribute and relationship of late pastor Bimbo to the new wife, Nomthi and her love story to Pastor Taiwo was better told by late pastor Nomthi herself in the Fountain of Life Church publication and the book where she narrated how she met late Pastor Bimbo and also some shocking things she revealed. In Nomthi’s tribute, she talked glowingly about how she had met Pastor Bimbo even before she met her husband, pastor Taiwo, though she never met pastor Bimbo physically but through her preaching on TV in the year 2003 which really inspired her. She never knew she was going to end up marrying Pastor Taiwo Odukoya whom she saw as a widower then. In the fountain of life publication magazine, pastor Taiwo and Nomthi explained in an interview how their paths crossed. Nomthi narrated that she met Pastor Taiwo Odukoya in London where she stays when he came for a ministration at her local church, Triumphant Church International. She was a chorister and she enjoyed every bit of the preaching which was amazing. Unknown to her, Pastor Taiwo had seen her and could not come to meet her then she said after the conference, her pastor called her that someone is interested in her but she never gave in because of the relationship she was still keeping then.
So later after she walked out of the relationship, pastor Taiwo had a stopover in London during one of his travellings and that was how they met for the first time. Though through her pastor in London who had given him her phone number, he was calling her before then and months later, he proposed to her. Initially, when she found out he was pastor Bimbo’s widower, she didn’t want to give in but after a series of prayers she was convinced and since then it has been a beautiful union. She also wrote an edifying tribute about Bimbo on how Pastor Bimbo’s character gave her some level playing ground with her in-laws. She titled it, A TRIBUTE TO A TITAN, ——— ”It was a summer afternoon in 2003. My friends and I were surfing through the television in my apartment in London when we caught a broadcast by a vibrant, energetic preacher. She was tenacious, passionate, almost like nothing we had ever seen on screen. We also found it interesting that she was speaking on relationships in a way that was practical and engaging. Back then it was not often to find such teaching on screen. I made a mental note of it and flicked over to the next channel. Who would have imagined where the years would lead or how our paths would become intertwined. Many years later, I met my husband, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya when he visited my then local assembly, Triumphant Church International, UK.
As young choristers, we looked forward to the guest ministers with eagerness and faith. I soon learned that pastor Taiwo was the widowed husband of a dynamic relationship preacher, Bimbo Odukoya. Again I mentally connected the dots and remembered it was the same energetic preacher I watched years ago. As I tried to put my thoughts together in this tribute, it dawned on me that she had such a strong personality, such that, even though we never met physically, I can say that I know her through the countless lives she touched and impacted.
Let me start with the children, my dear Toluwani, Jimi and Tobiloba. As a nervous bride to be, I cannot forget the warmth and reception the children showed me. Tolu, for instance, who happened to be my chief bridesmaid was unabashedly available for the planning process. As we toured the stores in London, shopping for wedding items, I got to learn about her generosity and open heart. Tobi, the youngest was and continues to display loving and caring tendencies. And I cannot even begin to capture Jimi’s largeness of heart and cheerfulness. The truth is, from their lives and personal examples, I met pastor Bimbo. These are children who were nurtured and mentored by a mother who by every standard was a true woman of God.
After all as the saying goes, the apple does not fall too far from the tree. ’’Needless to say, the reception I got from pastor Bimbo’s siblings was also amazing. I feel like I am part of their family. Grandpa Williams is ever warm, welcoming and full of prayers every time I call him on the phone or we visit him. The reception from my in-laws also tells me what an awesome sister-in-law she was. If she was not, they would have treated me terribly and I would have had to fight battles that do not belong to me. I am also familiar with the tremendous assistance she provided the domestic staff. I see the fondness with which they still talk about her.
Many years after she passed on, her generosity continues to speak. If this is not a legacy, I don’t know what is. Worthy of note is the continued success of the singles and married fellowship years after her demise. This tells me a lot about her commitment to raising leaders that could hold the fort after her. And also importantly, I have seen pastor Bimbo through the Fountain of life church family. Settling into a new role in a foreign country comes with anxieties but Fountain members allayed every concern I had with their warmth and love. And I can say boldly that, all this is largely attributable to the legacy pastor Bimbo left through her teachings and mentoring. Most importantly, I know pastor bimbo through the life of my dear husband, pastor Taiwo Odukoya.
In a little less than six years of marriage, I have learned and gleaned lessons on life and leadership. Not just that, he prunes, pushes and loves me into becoming all that God called me to be. And this tells me a lot about how pastor Bimbo handled her fame and ministry. I can therefore say pastor Bimbo ran her race remarkably and finished well. Her legacy is the baton she has handed over to you and I, to step into our God-given assignments and become all that God destined for us. The holy spirit who is our great counsellor continues to teach and reveal Pastor Bimbo’s heart to me. He explained that our relationship is similar to ‘Moses who did not experience the first books of the bible, but God explained it to him and he was able to write it down. As I continue to stand in my identity and run the race God has committed to me, I have the privilege to also read her books, listen to her messages and study her examples. And it is my joy that this book is finally being put together so that all of us can read her life’s story and be inspired by it’’.
Sadly, while late pastor Nomthi took joy in celebrating late pastor Bimbo, she never knew the tides will turn and in turn even without a book written about her yet, many tributes have flooded the Internet about how generous, lively and deeply rooted she is in Christ.
Late Pastor Nomthi Odukoya is an educationist and life coach with a master’s degree in Global Human Resource Management. As the co-pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Lagos, Nigeria,
Born Rosemary Simangele but fondly called Pastor Nomthi, the 47-year-old pastor had grown in prominence in over a decade after tying the knot with a prominent pastor Taiwo Odukoya.
She was thrust into the limelight once again after the release of her critically acclaimed children’s book, ‘No! Don’t Touch Me There’.
The book, which was published in 2016, empowers children to confront any form of improper behaviour or abuse and gives them the confidence to talk to trusted adults. It has become a reference point among parents, educationists especially child body safety enthusiasts and experts. She is largely credited for writing several children’s books that address topical issues like bullying, gender equality, and life lessons.
She had her primary education in South Africa; she was a student of Natal College of Education between 1996 and 1999. She also holds a master’s degree from the University of Liverpool, England. Aside from being a pastor, the mum-of-two boys was also an accomplished author. Some of her bestsellers include ‘A Bully is not a Hero’, Help! They are fighting again,’ ‘Boys and girls are different but equal’, ‘Enjoy your life,’ and a host of others. Through her Wazi foundation, she championed several advocacy initiatives for children’s welfare.
She ministers the message of hope to her congregation and women around the world. Her ministry and message of hope to women span Nigeria, South Africa, Europe and the United States of America.
-TAYO OYEDIJI
READ ALSO: EVERYTHING REAL ESTATE EXPO 2021 HOLDS IN LAGOS
Send Us News, Gist, more... to citypeopleng@gmail.com | Twitter: @CitypeopleMagz